Different Circumstances
by often indecisive
Summary: Leon, Claire, and the aftermath of yet another outbreak.


Different Circumstances 

Claire Redfield sat at a dusky, smoke-filled bar, staring absentmindedly into the face of a shot of whiskey, watching the amber coloured liquid swirl around in the dirty glass she was holding. Claire wasn't a drinker - she could barely stand one beer - but yesterday's events had shaken her, and she needed something to both calm herself, and ease the seemingly implacable feeling of constriction that was welling up in her chest. TerraSave; the name was now acid on her tongue, a foul word in her mind. If it weren't for TerraSave backing WilPharma into a corner, there would have been no havoc caused at the airport, and all the other events that occurred after it. Claire had never felt so guilty in her life; it was irrational of course, there was no way she could have known about WilPharma and that bastard Frederick, but Claire couldn't stop herself from feeling the guilt.

With a scowl, she lifted the glass to her lips and poured the fiery liquid into her mouth, wincing as it left a scorching trail down her throat. She closed her eyes, images of the day's event flashing behind her closed lids: the zombies, the plane crash, Greg, Curtis, Frederick… all of it. Claire felt another constriction, and took another burning swig of the drink.

"I never would have expected to see you _here_," Came a familiar, husky voice from behind her. She spun on her chair to see Leon Kennedy, standing behind her, his face the usual mask of calmness. His dark blond hair hung, as usual, in front of his face, covering one side.

"What are you doing here, Leon?" Claire asked, quizzical. The last time she had seen him, earlier in the day, he had jumped into a helicopter and flown away. What was he doing back?

"What, can't a guy get a drink in a bar now and again without being questioned as to why he's there?" He joked, taking the seat next to her. She narrowed her eyes at him, patience worn thin today.

"Sell stupid somewhere else. Why are you here?" She demanded, slightly annoyed. Was there another outbreak? Something happen with another virus? That could be the only reason why he came back, she thought. So his next words took her by surprise.

"I wanted to see you," His voice was soft, devoid of its usual snarky, aggressive tone. Her annoyance was lost immediately, her face became surprised and she stared at him. He stared right back, his face showing nothing but sincerity at his words.

"You did?" Claire asked, incredulous.

"Yeah, I did." He replied, grinning.

"Really?" She asked again, almost dubious. It had been almost five months since she had seen Leon; his new job guarding the President's daughter and working as a special agent for the government meant he rarely had any time free, and what little time he _did _have, he used to sort out errands, the place wherever he lived, that sort of thing. Claire would have thought that in all the catastrophe, he most likely would have forgotten about her.

"Yes, Claire," Leon laughed, but then his face took on a more serious look, "It's been too long. I missed you." He smiled at her then, though his pale blue eyes showed a glimmer of sadness. Claire felt immediately touched at his words. He _missed_ her. And, if she was being honest with herself, she missed him, too. Often, when she was alone, or had some quiet time on her hands, her thoughts would turn to Leon; wondering where he was, what he was doing. After the outbreak in Raccoon City, she and Leon used to spend a lot of time together, just hanging out and having fun, and she found herself beginning to care deeply about him. But, when he got that job working for the President, it had all changed. She started seeing less and less of him, and then after the incident in Spain, she would only see him once every couple of months. She _did _miss him - she missed his sarcastic jokes, the way she could laugh endlessly with him about nothing, how he could make anything funny, the roguish look on his face when they were having playful arguments, when she wouldn't hand him the T.V remote at Chris' apartment when she wanted to watch her drama show and he would tickle her into submission.

"Yeah, it has been too long. And… I missed you, too," She replied, and Leon's mouth pulled up into a lopsided grin, bringing out the boyish features of his face that had been hidden away with age, and stressful missions.

"I have a question, though," Leon said, his face suddenly thoughtful.

"Shoot," Claire told him, waiting patiently to see what it was.

"What are you doing in here? This is probably the last place I'd ever expect to find you_,_" He stated, looking at her with that same thoughtful expression. She turned back to the bar, eyes on her amber drink again.

"I… needed something to calm me down, after yesterday." She admitted to him quietly, not looking at him in fear of what she might see. She felt a warm hand on her shoulder.

"Claire…" He whispered, empathising, "It's okay to be shaken up. It's only natural," She shook her head, but didn't answer. Instead, she asked him a question she suddenly thought of.

"You said you wanted to see me, how did you know where to find me?" She looked up into his pale blue eyes, finding them fixed on her face. He made that lopsided grin again.

"I didn't. I came in here for a drink. I was gonna get a drink first, and then go to your apartment, but I found you here instead. Worked out better, actually," He said, still grinning.

"And you know where I live… how?" She questioned, feeling - despite what she had just said - a smile tugging on her lips. She should have been creeped out that he knew where she lived, but instead she found it amusing, and kind of flattering.

"Oh, I have my ways," He told her, tapping his nose. She laughed. Trust Leon to make a joke out of possibly stalking her, or looking her address up somehow. Claire had forgotten just how easy it was with Leon to slip into playful banter about everything, and she realised just how much she missed it. "Are you going to drink that?" He motioned to her half empty glass of whiskey, and she laughed and shook her head, pushing it towards him. He grinned at her again, and downed the rest of the drink in one.

"C'mon, lets go somewhere more private where we can talk," Leon said, pulling out his wallet and throwing a bill onto the bar. Before Claire could protest about him paying for her drink, he took her hand and lead her out of the bar.

"Uh… where exactly are we going?" Claire questioned as Leon pulled her outside into the dark parking lot, over to a shiny black car. He pulled a set of keys out and unlocked the car, motioning for her to get in.

"My apartment," He replied, getting in the driver's seat and starting the car. Claire gaped at him amidst fastening her seatbelt.

"You have an apartment _here?_" She demanded. He grinned at her again and nodded.

"I have apartments in a lot of places. It's… necessary for the work I do," He said, rather cryptic, and drove out of the lot onto the road. Silence set in between the two, the only sound filling the air was the hum of the engine.

Claire stared out of the window, watching absentmindedly the lights of other cars and houses as they blurred by, her thoughts surrounding the man in the driver's seat. She felt at ease with Leon, even when they weren't speaking. The silence wasn't awkward, it was comforting. And Claire noticed that the constricting feeling she had in her chest had dissipated with Leon's arrival. She felt an old sense of security, sitting in the passenger seat of Leon's car. She had always felt very safe with Leon, even during the horrific breakout of the virus in Raccoon City and she had just met him.

"How are you holding up, anyway?" Leon asked, bringing Claire out of her reverie. She looked over to him; his eyes were focused on the road.

"Oh. Well, you know me. I'll survive," She answered, not willing to delve into detail about how extremely guilty she was feeling about the entire incident. Leon nodded, accepting her brush-off answer… for the moment. His eyes cast over to her briefly; she had rested her head against the window, staring out with unseeing eyes.

"We're here," He told her as he pulled up in front of his apartment building and shut off the engine. Claire squinted out the windshield into the dark, barely making out the outline of the building.

"Where is _here_?" She asked, unfastening her seatbelt and getting out of the car. Leon met her at the door, closing it behind her and leading her to the building.

"Just on the edge of town. Y'know, the new apartment block that was built a while ago," He told her, pulling out a different key and unlocking the door to the building. Claire vaguely recalled hearing about new apartments being built on the fringe of town - she hadn't given it much attention before.

"Hm," She said, lost in thought again as she followed him in. He walked through dim lighted lobby and over to the elevator, pressing the "call" button. Claire gave him a questioning look,

"I live on the top floor. And I didn't think you'd want to take the stairs," He answered her unasked question, almost sheepishly. She rolled her eyes with a small grin, but said nothing. The two lapsed into silence whilst they waited for the elevator, and Claire was exceptionally aware of how close Leon was standing to her; she could literally feel the warmth radiating off his arm next to hers.

When the elevator arrived, the doors pinged open and the two stepped in. Leon leaned over to press the top button, which glowed when his fingers touched it. Claire was surprised; the slightly lit elevator was quite fancy.

"Pretty fancy, isn't it?" Leon said, as if reading her thoughts as the elevator rode smoothly upwards.

"Yeah. Nothing like my apartment building; the elevator doesn't even work there," Claire replied, laughter in her voice. In the small confines of the warm elevator, she could smell Leon's cologne, the A.C swirling it around the air. It smelled delicious; musky, yet fresh at the same time.

When the elevator reached to top floor, the two stepped out into a hallway full of apartment doors, and Claire followed Leon right to the end; number 107. He took his set of keys out from his pocket and carefully opened to door, assessing the apartment before he stepped in. Claire gave him a quizzical look.

"Sorry, force of habit," He smiled, and lead her inside, switching on the light. His apartment had almost a quaint feel, though it was virtually empty. Claire scanned around the room, noticing that there was hardly any furniture, save for a couch and a glass coffee table. The place looked unlived in.

"Leon, when was the last time you were here?" She asked him, watching as he sat comfortably on the couch, and invited her to sit next to him.

"When I bought it," He admitted with a grin, and patted the space next to him. Claire chuckled once, and moved over to sit with him. His gaze became serious then, his pale blue eyes staring intently into her chocolate-brown ones. "Now, are you going to tell me how you're _really _holding up?" He asked, and Claire had to blink at the intensity of his gaze.

"I'm fine… really," She mumbled her eyes casting downwards to her lap where her hands had melded themselves together. She didn't want Leon to know how guilty she felt; she knew he would tell her she wasn't to blame, that she couldn't possibly have known about TerraSave and WilPharma's situations, but she knew she wouldn't believe it. She would still feel guilty.

"Claire… if anything yesterday's events have taught me - or anything since the Raccoon incident for that matter has taught me - it's that you shouldn't bottle up how you feel. That'll only make it worse. And you definitely shouldn't blame yourself for anything. Don't beat yourself up about this, Claire. You're _not _to blame. If you want to blame anyone for this, blame the bastards who used the virus. Don't cause yourself pain you don't deserve." Leon's words burned with sincerity so strong Claire couldn't bear to look at him, knowing his gaze would be similar to his words. She kept her eyes on her hands, knowing what Leon said was true. But, like she also knew, she still felt guilty.

"But TerraSave," - She spat the word out, acid on her tongue - "I should have known, I should have figured it out." Her words were quiet, feeble then. She felt she barely had an argument against Leon's strong words. She felt his warm, slightly callous hand on her cheek then.

"No, Claire. This is not your fault." He said, softly this time, like he did when he told her he wanted to see her. His hand slowly lifted her chin up, gently forcing her to look him in the eyes. His eyes were burning intently, and the second Claire looked, she was caught in his gaze. He smiled softly, warmly, and all Claire could do was smile back. "There, that's what I wanna see," Leon whispered when she smiled, and he pulled her to his chest to envelope her into a hug.

Claire accepted the embrace, admitting that maybe he was right, she _shouldn't _blame herself. Her arms came up to wrap around Leon's torso, and he hugged her tighter to himself. Her face buried in his shoulder, and she felt truly warm and relaxed. She was almost amazed at how good Leon could make her feel; it had been a long time since she had been in Leon's embrace, and she remembered the times when he would hug her like this when she felt upset. The smell of his cologne was strong from her position; she was greatly resisting the urge to nuzzle him so she could smell it better.

The two stayed like that for a while, just silent, embracing, and Claire began to feel slightly drowsy. She was struggling to keep her eyes open, the smell of Leon's cologne and the warmth of his body tempting her into unconsciousness. But, just as she was about to give in, she thought of something. Leon was there with her right then, yes. But she was pretty sure that in the morning, or the next few hours, he would have to go away again. And she wasn't sure when the next time would be that she would see him.

"Leon," She called him, not moving from her position.

"Mm?" He answered, arms tightening around Claire slightly.

"…When will I see you again?" She asked quietly, sadness creeping into her tone. Leon was silent for a moment, as if deliberating his answer.

"I don't know," He answered truthfully, and Claire sighed as she felt a sudden wave of sadness wash over her. She had truly revelled in Leon's company tonight, and she hadn't realised just how much she missed him. She didn't want him to leave, and she certainly didn't want to be waiting several months until she saw him again. "But it'll be very soon. I'll make sure of it," He added, and Claire pulled back to look at him.

"It will?" She asked, hopeful, looking him straight in the eyes. His eyes were soft and gentle, and a smile graced his lips at her words, sensing the hope in them.

"Yeah. Definitely," He nodded, "Yesterday I learnt that you have to treasure all the time you can get with people you care about, because you never know what'll happen. Especially with the crazy world we live in, Claire. So I'm going to make sure I get to see you again very soon. Besides," - Leon suddenly grinned, "It's different circumstances now. I don't have to worry about running around killing crazed mutants and zombies, and I can focus on the beautiful woman right in front of me," Claire's eyes widened at his words, and she blushed madly.

"Really?" She asked, aware of how childish she sounded, but wanting to make sure he meant what he said.

"Oh yes," He replied, and leaned in to press his lips against hers. Claire's initial reaction was shock beyond belief as she both saw and felt Leon move forward and press his soft lips to her. Admittedly, she had imagined this quite a few times, long ago after Raccoon City; she had always thought Leon to be devilishly attractive with his boyish looks, baby blue eyes and blond hair, and spending so much time with him, she had started to develop feelings for him that went beyond friendship. But then, he got his new job, and she never got to find out if anything more would ever become of them. So, for him to be there with her now, his lips on hers, it was wonderful for her. And his kiss was much better than she had ever imagined it would be.

After the brief shock, Claire retuned Leon's kiss, her arms moving up to his neck. One of his hand's had moved into her hair, the other was still around her waist, sitting tightly there. The kiss went from soft and gentle, to fervent and exciting; Claire nearly gasped when she felt Leon's tongue slide tentatively over her bottom lip. But she immediately granted him access, and their tongues melded together as they explored each other's mouths. Pretty soon, Claire felt herself becoming out of breath, and she regretfully pulled away so she could suck in a lungful of Leon-scented air. Her breathing wasn't the only one's who was heavy, as Leon rested his forehead against Claire's, breathing raggedly.

"Wow…" Claire breathed, closing her eyes as Leon's breath fanned across her face.

"Tell me about it," Leon replied, his hand still lodged in Claire's red locks. "You're quite the kisser," He informed her, lips quirking up into a grin.

"So are you," Claire said, laughing.

"I should have done that a long time ago," Leon mused, hand moving from her hair to rest on her cheek.

"Yeah, you should have," Claire agreed, "But you can always make up for that," She suggested with a grin, and Leon laughed.

"Now _that's _a good idea," He said, and leaned forward so their lips touched again.

END


End file.
